Community Energy Wales calls for inclusion of Community Energy in GB Energy Bill

Community Energy Wales has called on the Labour government in Westminster to include community energy in its GB Energy Bill.

The group, headed up by form Plaid Cymru leader, Leanne Wood and Ben Ferguson have argued that the bill as drafted does not reference community energy, despite the vast potential contribution it has to make towards the government’s energy goals, as well as government ministers’ statements in support of community energy.

The second reading of the bill is due to take place on Thursday 5 September.

Community Energy Wales is calling on all supportive Welsh MPs to be present for the debate and to make the case is made for the minister to include explicit support for community energy in future stages of the bill.

Ownership

During the King’s Speech, energy minister Michael Shanks said: “One of the missions of GB Energy will be around the idea of community-owned power.

“We have to bring two things together: we want communities to be in the driving seat of much of this in the future, but also to have some sense of ownership of the assets.

“There is real appetite for that, and it is some of the early work that GB Energy will do.”

The Co-Executive Directors of Community Energy Wales, Leanne Wood & Ben Ferguson said: “Community energy is about encouraging people to come together to take actions to ensure that the energy infrastructure serving them meets their needs now and in the future.

“This means enabling communities to own the means to produce and make use of low-cost renewable energy and to save energy and expenditure on energy.

“Community energy companies are usually constituted as some form of social enterprise, with goals to provide wider social, environmental and economic benefits, like the building of confidence, the development of skills, keeping money in the local economy, supporting businesses and creating local job opportunities, all of which help to make our communities more resilient and viable.

“Community energy makes sense in so many different ways, and helps governments to reach multiple targets and objectives. We want to see the bill strengthened with an amendment to include enabling community energy in the list of GB Energy’s objectives to avoid a major missed opportunity.”